Adolfo Guzman-Lopez

Education Correspondent

I focus stories on college students who are at a crossroads, particularly those on the first rung into higher education. Many of those students are trying to overcome academic and other challenges because they believe college will be the path to a better life. How do the people around them -- in their personal lives and at the institutions they attend -- help or hinder their success?

Southern California universities are taking the lead in improving relations with Native American tribes. UCLA is the latest; it created a new position that seeks to increase the number of American Indian students and faculty.